Road Trippin III Ladakh and Zanzkar
After last year’s maiden road trip with classmates through Ladakh and J&K which took us from Delhi to Leh via Manali via the five mountain passes namely Rohtang, Baralacha la, Nakeela, Lachangla and Tanglang la and the Gata loops and on to Pangong Lake via the Chang la and Nubra Valley via Khardungla la adding another two passes, making it a total of seven, three of which were the highest in the world before we headed for Jammu via Sonmag, Srinagar and Katra crossing the Namika la, Fotu la and Zojila Passes.
The circuit we chose to do this time was a little different as was the timing. Last year we rolled of the blocks mid Sep, this year we were rolling in the third week of August. This made our trip a trifle difficult to plan since we wanted to avoid the tailwinds of the monsoon and the possibilities of landslides and shooting rocks getting in the way of what could lead a terrific adventure into becoming a terrible one.
This year the plan was to drive through the Spiti, Kinnaur and Sangla valleys of Himachal from Delhi via Manali before winding our way down to Shimla and then on to Amritsar for a visit to the Golden Temple and closing the tour as we had done last year by visiting Vaishno Devi before winding down in Jammu. We chose to drive the circuitous route from Delhi to Manali to Shimla instead of driving the other way round since Spiti falls in the rain shadow and hence we figured once we had crossed over to Kinnaur we would be relatively safe from the monsoon rains and slides and as luck would have it, we figured correctly.
The gang this time was the same as last year with one addition. The three musketeers from the last trip Amit Karia ( Bombay), Shyam Kanjani( Bhopal), Self ( Gurgaon) and the fourth musketeer, a classmate of ours PK Dilip Kumar ( Bangalore) joining us. Handyman Bhau came with us this time too. The only chap who didn’t was Tirchi Topiwale the guitar since 5 was a crowd already and that was a lucky break since God knows what shape it would have come back in after the roads or lack of it had put us through our paces. Our trusty steed the Bolero too was the same one this time around as well.
Planning this time didn’t take months as we did last time round, however numerous phone calls to everyone we knew or didn’t up in those parts were made to get the latest position on the weather, road conditions, landslides, probabilities and possibilities to assuage anxious hearts at home and our own false notions of bravado.
The kilometer log in the following is based on actual km logged due to additional overlaps or trips to the markets etc and not necessarily point to point measures
Day 01 22nd August 2015 Gurgaon- Una 430 Km Dep 1145 Arr 2100
After our experience following the traditional route to Manali via Swarghat, Bilaspur, Mandi, we decided to avoid the Bilaspur stretch altogether and travel to Una instead. The interior road to Manali is a much better drive and gets you straight to Mandi wth just the odd bad patch here and there compared to the broken rubble along the Swarghat- Bilaspur- Mandi stretch. We left around noon and halted at the highway complex in Dera Bassi for lunch around 4 pm and reached checked into the PM Residency hotel in Una at 9 pm. Nice lodgings and good grub and a couple of beers later we were ready to turn in.
Day 02 23rd August 2015 Una- Manali 280 km Dep 0945 Arr 1830
This scenic route in parts took us through Thana, Kalan, Bhuta and Mandi onwards to Manali but not before a detour to see the Bhakra Nangal Dam more so because one of our party actually builds dams. We checked into the Johnsons Lodge in Manali and hung out at the bar.
With the permit rule having come into effect ,wherein the NGT ( National Green Tribunal) has ruled that all vehicles heading out of Manali towards Lahaul and Spiti and Leh need to have a permit given by the SDM’s office. Since the office opens at 10 am, we knew we could continue the revelry a bit longer but also knew there was no way we were going to be able to reach Kaza the following day as planned, but decided to make it to Chandertal instead and what a boon that was!
Day 03 24th August 2015 Manali- Chandertal 130 km Dep 1045 Arr 1715
Since we needed to get a permit to travel beyond Rohtang Pass, we had an easy enough morning and trudged up to the SDM’s office at 1000 having got our handyman first in line around 9ish. The travel company next door had the requisite forms hence it was simple enough to have someone in line whilst we packed and got set for the long drive again. Since the holiday crowds were gone, getting the permit was an easy task and we were on our way at 1045 after picking up our supplies of chocolate, snacks and water.
Little did we know that the Manali section would be almost the last bit of tarred road we’d see till we got on to a section of NH 22 on the way to Shimla days later…
The roads along Rohtang Pass seemed slightly better than last year though and we wound our way up looking for a milestone that said Gramphoo which is where we were to take the diversion to Spiti. Missing that meant going up to Leh. Well, we didn’t find that milestone but luckily spotted a faded signboard pointing the way to Spiti and we rolled on.
As mentioned earlier we changed plans to drive to Kaza directly and decided to get to Chandertal lake for the night. Chandertal rests at 14000 feet and would be the highest point we stayed at during the trip. The road if you could call it that was basically gravel and stone but the views were fantastic with high mountains and sheer drops especially when we hit Batal to take the diversion to Lake Chandertal. Getting to Batal too is a challenge with a few water/nallah crossings and river beds strewn around for good measure
There is virtually no road from Batal to Chandertal and its narrow enough for only vehicle at a time. If there’s an oncoming vehicle well then one of them has to back up and find a sweet spot and pray…We got into the Parasol Camp around 1715. Basic high altitude alpine tents with cots, nice grub and a great host in the ever- smiling Sonam who incidentally nicknamed us ‘The Shaukeens’
After a cuppa, we decided to go across to see the lake which was 3 odd km away winding up through a dusty track. We were already acclimatized what with the Diamox we had started pumping a day or so before leaving Delhi so we were good to go.
After a drive and a short walk through some of the most beautiful mountains and countryside we saw on the trip, we arrived at the lake. A tad disappointing after the vastness and sheer blue of Pangong, but mesmerizing, nevertheless. The stillness, the silence the colour of the mountains as it changed hue with the setting sun was mind blowing.
The first thing that hits you is the stillness… The mountain, the lake, the space, the air, its all silent. There’s narry a ripple, nor the scraping of rock, nor the lonesome flight of a bird, nothing at all, just you and the loud thoughts running helter skelter trying to take it all in. The silence still echoes…
According to the legend of the Mahabharat, as it says in the Himachal Tourism brochure (which incidentally is a document can’t rely on fully as we were to find out later), Lake Chandertal was the spot that Indra Dev’s chariot came and took Yudhishter back to heaven after the Great War. ‘ The mountains are the colour of Buddha’s body, the river his flowing speech’ as one Japanese monk describes the area.
The lake though is beautiful, the mountains on either side have shades and hues that seem to change colour every moment. There is a stillness that can consume you or empower you and the lone majestic snow peak stands silently… I call it the mountain that beckons since it seems to draw you in… I still feel that feeling even after all these years when I think or talk about it…
After the usual free hand on the shutters, we hiked back to the car to take us to camp. Temperature outside 0 degrees Celsius
Warning:- Alcohol like all else in moderation is alright. If one can avoid alcohol on the mountains, great. If one must indulge, then one must drink slowly and sensibly because high altitudes and alcohol is a killer combination and can have one act rather strangely indeed. ‘Altitude euphoria’ is quite the phenomenon by itself.
Day 04 25th August Chandertal- Kaza 103 km Dep 1000- Arr 1500
Early morning two of us decided to go up to Chandertal again and get some morning shots. We also decided to do a parikrama ( walk around the circumference) of the lake. The 4.2 km walk around the lake took us an hour and fifteen minutes and we were lucky enough to spot some jungle birds and wild geese
After breakfast we headed for Kaza. The road took us to Kumzum Pass going up to about 14500’.We stopped at the temple on the pass and made our way to Losar where we made a brief halt for coffee and onward to Kaza. Losar to Kaza is 58 km.
Enroute we realized we’d busted the diesel return pipe, just a minor leak, but a leak nevertheless. When we got to Kaza we looked around for a motor parts store that we hoped would stock the damn thing but were told the nearest place we could get one was Rampur, almost 300 km away. Anyway good old jugad (ingenious solution) technology came to the rescue and a solution of Mseal and Araldite and the princely sum of 150 bucks to a local mechanic did the trick. We also saw a film shoot in progress along the way though we didn’t stop to get details.
Overnight at the Himachal Tourism place because the film crew had occupied the other properties. Surprised to find Star World on the TV though not that anyone watched any TV or read any news for that matter on the whole trip which is why we draw a blank every time someone mentions the Indrani Mukerjea case.
Kaza wasn’t much of a place and we actually skipped the Ki Monastry the next day which on second thoughts may have been a mistake, but none of us were up for it since we had a long drive ahead.
Day 05 26th August Kaza- Kalpa 235 km Dep 1000-Arr 1950
One of the longest days we’ve had primarily because we were hoping we would get decent lodgings enroute so we could break journey and not do the stretch in one day. However that wasn’t to be because there is absolutely nothing and nowhere one can get to lay one’s head except Tabo which is just 50 km away.
For this reason we decide to give the Ki Monastery a miss, a decision we may regret later at some point but it was too much of a hassle to back up and drive. We set off for Tabo to see the Tabo Monastery though and spent a nice hour ambling about. The monastery itself is an ancient one and is now a heritage site.
We then made our way to Lake Nako, hoping we might find ourselves amidst scenic surroundings with nice clean sheets and hot water but alas what a rip off. We reached Nako at 3, drove up a narrow lane to what was a damn pond or something larger masquerading as a lake. The tourism brochures are deceptive and the place looks really nice in the photographs. But it’s a small water body and nothing more. No surroundings, no scenic beauty and no decent place to stay. We headed out without even having lunch.
The drive however was one of the best in terms of roads and scenic vistas. The confluence of the Sutlej and Spiti rivers at Khab was a highlight as were the sheer overhang of rocks and cliffs along the road. Some sections had vistas not unlike the Manali- Leh road and the thrill of driving along what has been dubbed the most treacherous road in the world was a high too.
We managed to get into Kalpa around 8pm and missed the sunset over the might Kinner Kailash, abode of Lord Shiva just as Mount Kailash is at Lake Mansarovar.
Overnight at the Himachal Tourism Kinner Kailash Hotel which is perched at the highest point of the town with majestic views of the mountains.
Day 06 27th August Kalpa – Sangla 100 km Dep 1100-Arr Chitkul 1430 and back to Sangla 1800
Besides the Kinner Kailash views, Kalpa had nothing much to offer in terms of just chilling out, walks, meadows, high points or scenic beauty. The only walk the locals seem to know was a 6 km hike to a village with what they termed ‘Suicide Point’ halfway, a dangerous overhang and sheer drop none of us were keen to explore. And that’s the tragedy of most parts on this route, no real place to relax and take a few days off in unlike other parts of the state like Manali, Dharamsala, Mashobra and the like.
However the drive today was fantastic. Great drive, great views and a nice sunny day especially after being up at sunrise earlier to catch the sunrise over the Kinner Kailash. The view was spectacular, the dancing light on the mountain and the sheer projection of the rays over the range was a vision in itself.
The drive took us through some great winding slopes and carpets of green conifers along the mountainside with the snow capped mountains in the distance and the Baspa river below. On the way we saw a dead calf, which assumes significance on our return, and we’ll know why shortly. Anyway we entered Sangla and decided to find a place to shack up before moving on to Chitkul, the last village before Tibet. As it turned out we drove straight on for the 18 odd km to Chitkul and had a leisurely lunch at the last outpost. The houses were surprisingly pucca structures with the same colour steel grey sloping roofs, neat and clean. The Kinnauris seem to be a proud race and their approach to life is pretty straightforward.
We found comfortable lodgings at the Prakash Regency, an establishment owned by an apple grower/farmer Om Prakashji, who has his own orchards and looks after his crops himself. Meeting him and hearing his tales of farming the land, ‘sowing seeds of friendship’ as he puts it through his asparagus and broccoli organic farming that fellow travellers from across the world have introduced him to by sending seeds and seeing his eyes light up every time he talked of his beloved apples made for a lovely evening that warmed the heart as it were to see so much passion and enthusiasm in a man whose weather beaten face was lined with age but who was as sprightly and fit as a young man in his thirties. (Assuming there are fit 30 year olds is i.e)
Day 07 28th August Sangla – Narkanda 250 km 235 km Dep 1000-Arr 1915
We were actually hoping to get into Shimla but a combination of laziness and hope that Sarahan/Narkanda would offer us decent lodgings and a few spots to see, walk about and generally just chill, but alas! On the road back we came across the dead animal we had seen just the day before except it didn’t have a head. There was a horde of vultures, menacing creatures to say the least who were gorging on the feast as it were. The sight stopped us in our tracks and we were lucky enough to see them at close quarters as they went about their business. Yup we got clicks! Fastest finger first…
We had to take a diversion from Chillong on the Sangla- Shimla road. After travelling 18 km on a steep drive behind a military convoy where the trucks didn’t have enough space to maneuver and would need to back up every time they tried turning on the slope we finally got down to the point where the road merged with the highway and found we’d only covered 2 km as the crow flies.
We were headed to Sarahan just off NH 22 a 17km rather picturesque drive to visit the Bhimkali Temple. The tourism brochure states this is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths, a fact that the priest at the temple denied. He told us it was Siddhipeeth and the Kuldevi of the Maharaja of the area who also happens to be the current Chief Minister of the state. While the temple itself was nice, neat and clean, the Kuldevi was behind a closed silver door which apparently is only opened when the CM pays a visit. Now if the brochure had only mentioned this fact instead of the other skewered details, it would give pilgrims and tourists the choice of making the trip or moving onward.
We decided to drive on to Narkanda after spending half an hour at the temple. The night at Narkanda was neither here nor there. The only hotel worth anything at all was the Himachal Tourism Hatu which was under renovation. Anyway since we were at the fag end of our journey we just made do.
Day 08 29th August Narkanda- Shimla 65 km Dep 1045-Arr 2000
A nice drive into town though Shimla is a dump. Dogs, monkeys, people, cars, miles and miles of roofs, more roofs than trees to be honest. It must’ve been something way back in the 1800s but its now a sad reflection of its glorious past.
We took the penthouse at the Combermere Hotel near the parking and with its own private lift to the mall road. Generally spent time winding down from the back breaking 10 day road trip.
Day 09 30th August Shimla- Amritsar 400 km Dep 1045-Arr 2030 with a halt in Ludhiana and Jalandhar
Like last year where we ended our road trip after visiting Vaishno Devi, we decided to end our trip with a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. We deliberately stayed of the highway and took an inner road instead from Pinjore to Baddi from where we headed straight to Ludhiana to meet a guy who had patented a new way to tune tablas with an Allen Key. The guy was amazing, he invited us to his house and over tea and snacks introduced us to his family and took us through the whole process. PK ordered 3 sets for himself and his friends in Bangalore. Must’ve been a surreal experience for him because he mentioned to us at breakfast that morning in Shimla about how Ludhiana has somehow been on his mind ever since he was at school and we decided then to take the diversion and go there and just then he received a message from a friend saying that if he is passing through Ludhiana he must pay a visit to this Tabla wiz and check out the new tuning methodology and that’s when the die was cast. Ludhiana it was, and though the chap’s factory was closed he was kind enough to invite us to his home on a Sunday afternoon.
After lunching at Haveli just off Jalandhar , we reached Amritsar and checked into the Hyatt. A quick shower later we were at the Golden Temple where the calm and serene atmosphere did wonders to the mind, body and soul…
Day 10 31st August Amritsar—Gurgaon 535 km Dep 0700-Arr 1430
Two words about Himachal:- Opportunity Lost
Having travelled through almost the whole state in this and earlier travels, I find there isn’t a spot on this leg of the tour that I could take my family on a comfortable holiday too. Manali yes, the Kangra valley sure, Palampur, Dharamsala, Dalhousie the Mashobra- Naldhera Kufri stretch too is beautiful, but this entire stretch of Kinnaur, Sangla , Spiti and everything in between is basic, rustic with not much to do for kids or adults unless they are on a road trip or a rough holiday. The food too is alright and nothing to write home about. So if you’re looking for a comfortable or luxurious family holiday look elsewhere, however if you’re looking for adventure and a road trip then this road is the trip and the trip is the road…
ROAD TRIPPIN II – Log
Statistics
Dates: 22nd October 2015- 31st August 2015
Days: 9 Nights 10 Days
Vehicle: Bolero 2013 Model SLE 2.21 Litre
Kms ex Gurgaon: 3018
Diesel ex Gurgaon : 263.41 litres
Average: 11.45 km/litre
Booze: 24 cans; 12 bottles and 8 pints of beer; one 2 litre bottle of Scotch
Staple diet: Stuffed parathas, omlettes . toasts and chocolates
Day 01 22nd August 2015 Gurgaon- Una 430 Km Dep 1145 Arr 2100
Day 02 23rd August 2015 Una- Manali 280 km Dep 0945 Arr 1830
Day 03 24th August 2015 Manali- Chandertal 130 km Dep 1045 Arr 1715
Day 04 25th August Chandertal- Kaza 103 km Dep 1000- Arr 1500
Day 05 26th August Kaza- Kalpa 235 km Dep 1000-Arr 1950
Day 06 27th August Kalpa – Sangla 100 km Dep 1100-Arr Chitkul 1430 and back to Sangla 1800
Day 07 28th August Sangla – Narkanda 250 km 235 km Dep 1000-Arr 1915
Day 08 29th August Narkanda- Shimla 65 km Dep 1045-Arr 2000
Day 09 30th August Shimla- Amritsar 400 km Dep 1045-Arr 2030 with a halt in Ludhiana and Jalandhar
Day 10 31st August Amritsar—Gurgaon 535 km Dep 0700-Arr 1430
Cost INR 30000/- per person or thereabouts
Ravi Sasan 